Stokes Twins
| Stokes Twins | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Alan Stokes (left) and Alex Stokes (right) in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Alan Chen Stokes Alex Chen Stokes November 23, 1996 Shenyang, China | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | YouTubers, TikTokers, influencers | ||||||||||||||||||
| YouTube information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Channels | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2017–present | ||||||||||||||||||
| Genre(s) | Comedy, Shorts, Vlogs | ||||||||||||||||||
| Subscribers | 125 million[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Views | 22 billion[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
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Last updated: May 21, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||
Alan Chen Stokes and Alex Chen Stokes (born November 23, 1996), commonly known as the Stokes Twins, are American twins and influencers known for their YouTube and TikTok accounts. They began making videos separately and then combined their following into a shared twins account.[2][3]
Early life and education
[edit]Alan and Alex were born in Shenyang and spent their childhood between Liaoning and Knoxville, Tennessee. They have described their maternal grandfather—who helped raise them during summers in China—as a major influence on their work ethic and philanthropic outlook.[4] The brothers enrolled in pre-medical studies at a California community college but left in 2016 to pursue social media full-time. For roughly eighteen months they lived in their car, showered at public gyms, and uploaded 6-second sketches to Instagram before pivoting to YouTube.[5]
Career
[edit]Channel launch and early growth (2017–2020)
[edit]The twins created their joint channel on March 11, 2017 and reached four million subscribers within two years by mixing prank skits with dance trends popular on Musical.ly.[6]
Monetisation setback and reinvestment (2021–2023)
[edit]YouTube suspended monetisation for six months in 2021 following a prank that resulted in misdemeanor charges (see § Legal issues). After revenues were restored the twins began reinvesting “roughly US$10 million a year” in elaborate set builds, dubbing their videos into eight languages, and hiring VFX-specialist editors.[4] A 2022 upload entitled ‘‘I Spent $1,000,000 in 24 Hours’’ surpassed 100 million views.[7]
Global breakout (2024–present)
[edit]Multi-language dubbing along with a greater focus on YouTube Shorts led to a sharp spike in 2024: average daily views rose from 3–5 million to about 50 million, and the channel passed 100 million subscribers that November.[8]
Content and style
[edit]Producer and photographer Jordan Matter calls the twins “masters of hybridising trends,” noting their habit of combining two or more popular formats—such as hidden-room builds and large-scale hide-and-seek—in a single video.[9] Episodes are tightly storyboarded (scripts run 15–20 pages) and shot by a lean in-house crew plus freelance set builders.[4]
Business ventures
[edit]Although outside sponsorship enquiries increased after 2024, the twins have accepted comparatively few brand deals, arguing that mid-roll advertisements can hurt viewer retention.[5] Forbes reports that most of their income still comes from AdSense.[8] In early 2025 they announced plans to launch a consumer product line aimed at teens; details have not yet been released.[4]
Philanthropy and community work
[edit]Several videos incorporate charitable acts—such as funding year-long leases for homeless crew members and buying vehicles for friends—in addition to off-camera donations the twins say are made privately.[4] They have appeared at Southern California food-bank drives and were among influencers promoting #TeamSeas in 2022.[10]
Public image
[edit]Commentators praise the twins’ production values and rapid global growth, while noting earlier criticism for thumbnail designs that closely resembled those of larger creators. In a 2025 interview the brothers said they now spend “at least six hours” sketching each thumbnail to ensure originality.[4]
Legal issues
[edit]In October 2019 the twins filmed a prank in Irvine, California that onlookers mistook for a bank robbery. In August 2020 they were charged with false imprisonment and reporting a false emergency. Both pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in April 2021, receiving 160 hours of community service and one year of probation.[11] YouTube temporarily demonetised the channel but restored ads later that year.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "About Stokes Twins". YouTube.
- ^ Whateley, Dan (June 9, 2019). "A 'twinfluencer' with millions of followers says he's leaning into TikTok for brand sponsorships and getting 'low 5-figure deals'". Business Insider. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ Bertoni, Steven. "Top Creators 2024: The Influencers Turning Buzz Into Billions". Forbes. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Youshaei, Jon (April 30, 2025). "From Homeless to YouTube's 2nd Biggest Channel (Stokes Twins Interview)". YouTube. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ a b Whateley, Dan (June 9, 2019). "A 'twinfluencer' with millions of followers says he's leaning into TikTok for brand sponsorships and getting 'low 5-figure deals'". Business Insider. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ "Stokes Twins Social Blade statistics". Social Blade. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ "I Spent $1,000,000 in 24 Hours – live view count". Social Blade. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ a b "Forbes profile: Stokes Twins". Forbes. October 28, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ "Jordan Matter on working with the Stokes Twins". TikTok. April 27, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ "YouTube Stars Join Food Bank Volunteer Push". Tubefilter. December 20, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ "Stokes Twins: YouTubers plead guilty over fake bank robbery". BBC News. April 1, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2025.